A bonkers inventor has been officially crowned the owner of the world’s most powerful bicycle horn – louder than a FIGHTER JET or CONCORDE.
Keen cyclist Yannick Read, 43, has made a horn which honks at an incredible 136.2 decibels – three-quarters the volume of the loudest man-made sound EVER.
Yannick came up with the idea of strapping a super-powered horn from a FREIGHT TRAIN on the front of his bike after becoming tired of being cut-up by cars.
He reckons he spent just under £2000 on the Airchime KH3A triple air horn and modified scuba tank, which he strapped to an old bike frame and dubbed The Hornster.
He has now been included in the latest edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records for the planet’s loudest bike horn.
Yannick said: “I’m thrilled to have the world record. Like all mad inventors, it did it just because I could – and it’s brilliant.
“I can’t really use it on the roads, but whenever I’ve tested it, people certainly have given me a wide berth.
“It was a real job to get it to work, but we’re so pleased with the result.”
Londoner Yannick developed The Hornster with the Environmental Transport Association to highlight the dangers cyclists face on city roads.
He said: “In all cities there is a problem with lorries which don’t look out for cyclists so we thought we would get our own back on them with The Hornster.
“The same quietness that makes bicycles such a civilised way of getting around makes them vulnerable and The Hornster is a wake-up call for drivers who don’t pay attention to bikes.”
An F14 fighter jet, in comparison, is 130db while the deafening roar of Concorde landing is a mere 119db.
And sexy tennis star Maria Sharapova caused controversy at Wimbledon with her grunting – but that was just 101db.
From 100ft away The Hornster is still far louder than a standard truck’s 110db horn.
The loudest ever man-made sound was created in a specialist lab, and registered at 180db – loud enough to instantly cause hearing damage.
But the loudest possible sound, due to air pressure creating a vacuum, is 194db – which only occurs during some volcanic eruptions.